Practical and research projects

Actually, one would think that in the age of mobile communication, it would be easier than ever to get important information to the man or woman. This is all the more true if the information is relevant to both management and staff. The reality is different: Since communication in organisations - especially in large institutions - is a problem for various reasons, the fifth internal research focus of the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences deals with this topic. In "Potentials of Ambient Communication Environments - Value Creation through Interactive Technologies (PACE)", the name says it all: Eight professors from the Faculty of Management, Culture, and Technology, the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Social Sciences, and the Institute for Music are working together to develop novel, technology-supported solutions to problems in organisational communication in order to increase value creation in companies.

Website of the internal research focus PACE

Establishing a sustainable energy supply using renewable energies is a mammoth task. The need for research is correspondingly great. The diversity of the disciplines involved is also an expression of the complexity of the energy transition. What fundamentally feasible storage options for electrical energy exist? Are the existing information, control and consultation procedures suitable for increasing the acceptance of transmission grid expansion among affected local authorities?

How well is locally available energy used? How can an intelligent interaction of electricity and thermal energy generators and the associated consumers and storage facilities look like? And what about privacy in a smart grid? These are just a few of the questions that researchers at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences are investigating.

Good vibrations or stress? Motorcyclists feel the oscillations and vibrations of their motorbike: sometimes they are perceived as pleasant, sometimes as unpleasant. But how strong are these vibrations and how do they compare to the limit values that apply in the working world? Vibration measurements on different motorbikes and a survey among motorcyclists are used to get to the bottom of motorbike vibrations.

The funding programme "Cross Border Talent" aims to strengthen the innovative power of the German-Dutch border region through cooperation and exchange between companies and students.

Small and medium-sized enterprises from the border region offer talented students the opportunity to write their Bachelor's or Master's thesis in the company and then implement it in a six-month trainee phase.

The project is primarily aimed at students from degree programs in the fields of technology, business administration and management, but also from other degree programs such as communication and marketing. Participating students can gain their first important international experience "on their doorstep" and acquire intercultural skills that prepare them for further professional tasks on international terrain.

The subsequent trainee phase enables students to become active in practice. The implementation of the thesis is not only of great importance for the student, but also for the company and its further development. At the same time, the student can make international contacts and get to know interesting, successful companies from the region. The trainee phase is accompanied by professional coaching. Both the bachelor and trainee phases of the project are remunerated.

Demographic change, a shortage of skilled workers and a sharp increase in the influx of migrants are presenting companies in the Weser-Ems region with new, major challenges that are particularly difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to cope with.

Against this backdrop, the Emsland Business Association and the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences have joined forces within the framework of the project in order to work together with small and medium-sized enterprises in the region to develop possible solutions oriented towards the needs of the companies.
 

The topic of "Environment, Health, Safety" (EHS) has gained enormous importance in companies in recent years. The aim of

EHS is to protect employees, the public and the environment from hazards associated with the products and services of companies.

In accordance with the precautionary principle, a large number of supra-national, governmental and private institutions are dealing with the issue. Over time, this has led to an enormous density and complexity of regulations, which are reflected in standards, laws and ordinances. For the operation of plants, this includes, for example, a clear and complete understanding of the companies with regard to their operator responsibility, the operator obligations and their internal implementation within the framework of risk assessments and operating instructions.

From the companies' point of view, the increasing density of regulations and their dynamic changes lead to considerable uncertainties.

The aim of the project is the automatic extraction of relevant EHS regulations and their cognitive analysis in the individual company context using artificial intelligence methods.

European Lean Enterprise Alliance Network (EuroLEAN+) is a community of industry and knowledge institutes across Europe that collects and enhances information about customized Lean as a coherent body of knowledge that is made readily available to everyone that has an interest in a strong and competitive industry in Europe. It draws on best practices and insights from both industry and academia. Its knowledge is incorporated in new blended teaching and training programmes that are co-created by academia and industry. This is in line with Education and Training 2020 strategy (ET2020) to create jobs, economic growth and prosperity Customised product manufacturing.

The aim of the joint project GLASSHOUSE is to provide end-to-end support for activities in the logistics value chain using smart glasses (augmented reality glasses). The aim of the sub-project of the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences is to develop the technical system concept. The system concept will identify and describe the concrete logistical use cases that are suitable for use within the planned Smart Services System. By means of transfer into logistical algorithms, storage space optimisation as well as route and loading space optimisation can take place. The technical system concept, together with the data processing concept based on it, forms the basis for the implementation of the prototypical support system (Smart Services System) at the application partners in the network.
 

In the project "Ick bün all dor (Lower German for: I'm already there) - using the opportunities of digitalisation for intelligent mobility concepts", the aim is to mitigate the negative consequences of demographic change. The aim is for older people in rural areas to be able to live their lives autonomously for longer. This can relieve the burden on multi-generational families and neighbourhoods and strengthen their function. Life in the countryside compared to life in the city can thus retain its advantages, especially for young families. Within the framework of the classic distribution of roles, mothers should neither drive elderly people nor children to activities and appointments, but can pursue their own occupations and other support activities of relatives.

[Translate to English:]

Lean Manufacturing is widely recognized as the preferred, tried and tested approach to create highly efficient processes in European industry. Its application has led to significant growth in productivity, revenue, employment, and sustainability across an array of sectors. Now, the fourth industrial revolution, which will change the way factories work, is a new challenge and opportunity for the European manufacturing industry in remaining highly innovative and competitive. LEAN 4.0 will educate the operations managers of the future. We anticipate the European manufacturing industry’s contemporary need for development of new skills brought along by “industry 4.0”. More specifically, the labor market will require knowledge and experience with regard to the continuous improvement activities associated with Lean Manufacturing on the one hand, and the disruptive technological innovations of industry 4.0 on the other.
Projektseite: LEAN 4.0

In the module "Technical Product Development", students learn different ways of solving technical tasks: From systematically finding solutions to building the first prototypes - product development allows for numerous ideas - and as a result, very different results are produced.

Software development includes the design of software and its implementation, i.e. the conversion of a design into a computer programme. The students create software and then test it for its suitability.

With the help of customised software, costs and time can be saved as well as flexibility gained. In software development, the budding industrial engineers repeatedly create software for commercial enterprises, which is then actually used.

Logistics is an integral part of economics and engineering. The organisation and control of processes is actually complex enough. But the UN wanted more: it wanted sustainable production logistics.

Project management means planning, controlling and monitoring projects. But what does that actually mean? The DIN standard DIN 69901-5:2009-01 states that project management is the "totality of management tasks, management organisation, management techniques and management tools for the initiation, definition, planning, control and completion of projects".

The module Machine Dynamics is an integral part of the mechanical engineering programme. Here, students deal with interactions between forces within machines. One method taught at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences is vibration analysis. This includes "human vibration measurement", in which the effects of different vibrations from equipment (such as a drilling machine or a wheel loader) on humans are investigated.

The experimental calculation of dynamic loads forms another area of machine dynamics. The crowning glory of a course in the module Machine Dynamics was a movement measurement with an arrow in cooperation with the Lingen Archery Club.

The Institute for Management and Technology offers the module "Industrial Case Study". This is a scientific practical project. The prospective industrial engineers of the fourth semester and the mechanical engineering students of the fifth semester solve problems posed to them by companies in the region. In teams, standard project management procedures, idea generation methods and evaluation procedures are applied.

Large companies have been working for years to implement so-called "lean management methods". Such methods are supposed to avoid wasting resources, increase productivity and thus secure competitiveness in the long term. The classic implementation from large companies cannot simply be transferred to smaller and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This is because smaller companies often lack the necessary resources such as capital and personnel. This is precisely where the ERIP research project comes in.

Since the summer semester of 2013, Prof. Dr. Gunther Meeh-Bunse's teaching at the Institute for Management and Technology has been awarded the DATEV "Best Practice Education" seal. Meeh-Bunse is pleased: "We see this as one of our unique selling points and are particularly proud of the award." After all, this is only awarded to universities with a particular innovative spirit and with active cooperation when it comes to testing new approaches to integrating DATEV content. DATEV employees Heike Lauber and Kai Schmidt explain: "The Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences at the Lingen location has been awarded our seal because the contact persons have integrated a comprehensive range of courses from accounting to auditing into the courses within a very short time. Through this teaching offer and the cooperation with us, the development of new offers can be expanded."